


realization

by AbsoluteTempest



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: First Date, First Kiss, Kissing in the Rain, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 21:34:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17733083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbsoluteTempest/pseuds/AbsoluteTempest
Summary: It's just a friendly meeting, he tells himself, despite the butterflies in his chest.





	realization

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to my rarepair hell, please stay a while

The rain patters against the window of his office, the water illuminated beautifully by the street lights below.

It is another long day at the office, papers stacked high on his desk. It is the expected aftermath after everything that has happened and so he has holed himself in here for the past few days, only going home to eat and sleep.

Sleep does sound good right now, the rain making it even more appealing, but he wants to finish everything before tomorrow. Tomorrow he will have to deviate from the schedule, as everyone will be getting back to their lives. For some people, those lives are on the other side of the world.

He regrets not planning something tonight. Although they had celebrated plenty in the past few weeks, there is nothing wrong with planning something private, with his handful of close friends. But he knows he’ll see them sometime.

He starts to get back to work when he hears a knock at his door. He raises an eyebrow, as he was pretty sure that everyone had gone home. “Come in.”

He expects the janitor, or maybe even Mamoru visiting him, telling him to go home. But he’s surprised when Sendou Aichi walks through the door, a smile on his face, an umbrella in hand. 

“Sendou…”  
“Hey Ibuki,” Aichi does a little wave. “I was told I might find you here.”

He frowns. It must’ve been Mamoru. “Is there something you need?”

Aichi leans against his desk. “Hmmmm…” he closes his eyes, holds his chin deep in thought, but Ibuki has a feeling he already knows the reason why he’s here. He plays along and waits for Aichi to open his eyes and look at him. “I was told by the others you’ve been working yourself to death. Do you want to grab dinner together?”

Ibuki is taken aback by such a question. He expected this to come out of Mamoru’s mouth or Miwa’s but...he can’t deny that he hasn’t eaten anything today, nor has he interacted with anyone, outside of work related conversations. And with everything going on, he hasn’t had the chance to talk to Aichi, to catch up with everything. “Sure.”

\---

It’s still raining outside when Ibuki and Aichi leave the building. It’s a little chilly out, the breeze blowing through Ibuki’s hair as he lifts his scarf up as much as possible.

“The place where I want to go is only a block or two away,” says Aichi, opening up the umbrella. “If you want, we can take a taxi, but I don’t mind walking.”

Ibuki thinks about it for a second. A taxi does sound warmer, faster, but...there is something more appealing about walking there next to Aichi. “If walking there is something you want to do, then let’s do it.”

Aichi smiles. “Thank you.” He starts to step out into the rain.

“Sendou…”  
Aichi turns around, looking at Ibuki curiously until he realizes that Ibuki is still standing under the awning of the building, hand reaching out. “A-Ah, I’m sorry! I don’t want you to have to bend down just to stand under here.” He hands the umbrella to Ibuki.

Their hands brush for a second.

The strange feeling that has haunted Ibuki for so long enters his chest.

As they walk towards their destination, Aichi close to his side, he ponders about the strange feeling.

At first, he thought it was only a feeling that he had in the heat of the moment, so long ago. To witness Sendou Aichi, who had summoned Messiah to save the world, to save Cray, to save him, he could only describe it as beautiful, heavenly. 

Since then, he can count the amount of times they have crossed paths on one hand, but each time they cross, the strange feeling always seemed to well back up at some point. 

It’s hard to describe it really. It is similar to when he hangs out with Kai and Miwa, but it is completely opposite at the same time. He feels that if he could walk like this with Aichi, even in the pouring rain, forever, he would be content with just that.

Soon, Aichi tugs on his arm. “It’s right here.”

Ibuki looks up. He’s been here once or twice, usually with colleagues, but it’s usually a little expensive. “Are you sure about this?”

Aichi smiles. “Mmhm! If it’s a problem, I can pay for it. It’s just that I heard from Miwa that there’s a dessert here that’s really good…”

Oh, so he’s only heard this place from Miwa. “No, it's not a problem, it's just a little more expensive than other places around here.”

Aichi tugs him inside and the two sit down.

“So Sendou, since we never had anytime to catch up, how is everything?”

And so, Aichi begins to talk about his time in America. He talks about the people he's met in so many places, at his college, in New York City, even traveling to DC. He talks about his classes, and although everything about astronomy and physics flies over Ibuki's head, watching him talking so animated is enjoying.

“By the way, who is this Ratie you speak of?”

“Eh? Ah, you haven't met her yet. I met her in high school while...traveling around. She's a really good fighter from India. We share an apartment but she's works in the model industry so I don't see her often.”

“I see…” Ibuki stares at his water glass for a moment before he smiles and chuckles. “Sendou, you sure know how to touch hearts around the world.”

“E-Eh?” Aichi smiles sheepishly, scratching his face. “When you put it that way, it's really embarrassing!”

The two laugh, under the softly lit lights, the rain continuing to patter outside their window.

\---

They had stayed for quite a while, even after they had eaten their dinner and got the dessert that Miwa apparently recommended.

He'll have to thank him at some point.

“Aaah, that was so good!” Aichi says, spinning the umbrella around before reaching it out to Ibuki. “I really want to go back there again the next time I come back home.”

“Sendou…” Ibuki pushes lightly against Aichi’s hand, the umbrella. “You leave tomorrow, don’t you? You should go home and spend your time with your family.”

Aichi tilts his head. “But Ibuki…”

“It’s fine. My office from here isn’t too far away, so I don’t mind a little rain on my head. But I’ll be at the airport tomorrow to see you, and Kai, off. I’ll see you then, Sendou.” Ibuki waves to the still bewildered Aichi and starts to walk off.

Half of him screams at him to turn back, to not leave Aichi in the rain, but the other half is calm, logical. There is no point for Aichi to walk him back, other than being nice, but he really does not mind the rain. It’s calming, let’s his mind wander, and he’s bundled up for the cold anyways, so--

First, he feels the rain above his head vanish.

He stops. Aichi stands in front of him, the umbrella lifted high enough in the air to cover them both. He’s frowning, but his eyes are glowing, the same as back then. His guts twist in his stomach.

Aichi stands up on his tippy toes, gets as close as he can to Ibuki’s face. “I know...I know I should probably getting ready to go back to America but right now, I want to spend time with you!”

It is Ibuki’s turn to be stunned. “S-Sendou…”

“Also…” Aichi looks around, his face flushing slightly, before he looks back up to Ibuki. “Everyone calls me by first name, even Chrono. S-So, will you do it too?”

As Aichi looks at him, with determined eyes but with a face that is turning brighter and brighter, Ibuki starts to get an idea of what the strange feeling in his stomach is. 

He swallows. “Okay...Ai-Aichi.”

Aichi beams, as if the moon has whisked away the clouds. “Thank you Ibuki. Now will you please take...the…” He freezes as Ibuki leans down to meet him, their foreheads bumping into each other.

It makes complete sense to Ibuki now. He is a fool to not read any of the signs along the way; he’s even more foolish to not realize it when Mamoru and Miwa were involved. 

Go out more! Go on dates! You could ring in any man with your looks! It’s the kind of things that float around in his head in their voices. 

“Aichi,” Ibuki starts softly. “Was this whole thing a date?’

Aichi smiles, tender and warm, even though his face burns brightly. “Did you just now figure that out?” he teases. He brushes Ibuki’s hair out of his face, and rests his hand on his cheek.

He tilts his head into Aichi’s touch. “Maybe.”

Aichi drops the umbrella onto the ground to cup Ibuki’s other cheek. The rain starts to soak them, but neither of them care at the moment. He tilts his head the opposite of Ibuki’s. “Mamoru was right, you really need to get out more.”

“I’m out now, aren’t I?”  
“Mmmhmm.”

They both pull together at the same time. 

They’re both soaking wet from the rain, Ibuki realizes in the back of his mind, but right now his entire mind is focused on Aichi’s lips. They’re soft, warm, slightly taste of the butter cake from the restaurant. It feels slightly awkward, since he’s never kissed another man before, much less another person, but it also feel likes finding that missing puzzle piece.

Aichi breaks away first, to sneeze into his jacket. He laughs. “Sorry about that.”

Ibuki smiles. “We can continue somewhere warm and dry if you want.”

Aichi smiles back. “Of course.” He grabs the umbrella in one hand and takes Ibuki’s hand in the other, gives it a squeeze. “Let’s hurry!” 

As Aichi tugs him along in the pouring rain, with heart feeling light as a feather, about to soar away, Ibuki laughs. He laughs hard.

He doesn’t remember the last time he felt like this, if at all.

But, it’s a good feeling to try and hold forever.


End file.
